Emotionally eating the idea that someday soon someone might try to force us into a bathing suit under the guise of “vacation” or an “MD/PhD retreat” or just as a most sincerest form of torture.

Oh, yes. I’d say it’s official.

Summer. Is. Here.

So let’s eat our pesto pasta salad that is stuffed with so many veggies it’s unreal.

Turn that music up to 11.

And vow to get that bathing suit situation under control…

…next summer.

Eat.Live.Be.

So the truth about me and running is that I haven’t laced up my sneakers in ten days. (Since the Brooklyn Half Marathon.) My right hamstring has felt…odd…to say the least. (And by odd I mean that it has a knot in it the size of Texas that makes me cry whenever I try to foam roll it.) So I’ve been giving it a rest. I tried to hit the pavement yesterday but between the 90 degree weather and the fact that after two blocks of feeling like my legs had lost every coordinated bone they ever possessed (which admittedly is not many)…I headed for the gym instead. There’s always tomorrow.

And what I’ve realized in this past ten days is that I don’t eat very well when I don’t run. I’m more inclined to say, “Oh yes, I’ll just eat a jar of cookie butter in two days. No big deal.” Instead of, “Jar of cookie butter = bellyache = bad run. NO CAN DO!” So this week is about working on getting a handle on my raging sweet tooth/sugar addiction. And trying to convince myself that running is not the be-all end-all of my life and that I still deserve to feel good even if there isn’t 6 miles in my immediate future. It’s a process.

Pesto Pasta Salad with Roasted Asparagus, String Beans, Cherry Tomatoes and Olives
Serves 8, an Eats Well With Others Original

Heat oven to 450. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ravioliaccording to package directions.

While the water is coming to a boil, toss the asparagus, string beans, and cherry tomatoes with the olive oil, tuscany seasoning, salt and black pepper. Spread out onto one or two parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until tender and starting to brown/shrivel.

Toss the pasta with the veggies, olives, pesto, and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.

I’m with you. I love my pasta salad to be really veggie-heavy. I’m in more of a Game of Thrones reading phase than a 50 Shades of Grey reading phase at the moment. My theory is reading about a place where winter could possibly last for nine years will make me feel cooler–unlike 50 Shades of Grey which most definitely won’t. 😉

Pesto is one of those things that I can never seem to get enough of. Whenever I run out it’s never a problem, because I just make more! YAHOO! This is definitely on my to-make list. Also, so sorry to hear about your hamstring…did you feel it while running the half too? I had a sore hip a few months back and it eventually just went away. Yours will too…I can feel it because I’m (not in away way and never will be) a doctor.

Isn’t that always the way…great workout=fabulous eating all day. No workout=eat like shit all day. It should be the other way around!

It’s HOT here, too. 100’s actually. It’s like that every year in May…and the pools don’t open until June 9th. WTF? That and given my no junk food for 20 more days, I guess I’ll go snack on some lettuce. Good times.

Joanne, I am sorry about your hamstring… I used to injure myself all the time when I worked out too much and now I have learned to just give my body time to heal and rest when it asks for it. On the bright side, now would be a great time to get cardio workout in through swimming or biking. Hope that hamstring feels better soon. This pasta sounds great! I love sundried tomatoes and I frozen pesto that needs some using. Take care!

This is the kind of dish I would totally make at the beginning of the week and continue to consume it for many many days… hot or cold and I would just keep adding more veggies throughout the week. Ok, now I am craving pasta. Thanks! 😉

Wishing you a lovely start to your summer! Now, go put on that bikini!

I’ll eat all the veggies and a couple of bites of that delicious pasta… since I have to put on a bathing suit in a couple of weeks!! Carbs are my enemy right now. I know your body kinda needs ’em, but my body says to limit them or my butt will just get bigger and bigger 😉 Delicious combo you’ve got going on here!

I’m sure if I ran a half-marathon I’d have more than a sore hamstring to recover from. And I’m sure it must be so hot and humid in NYC at the moment which would make jogging quite unpleasant. Best to stay in the air-conditioned gym I’d say. What a beautiful looking pasta. I love the colours. And cherry tomatoes and asparagus are a great combination xx

Hope your leg feels better soon. This is another one of your recipes that I am keeping and going to try. Looks great! I too, have a major sweet tooth. Don’t know when I will ever get it under control (as I stare at a box of butter cookies with sprinkles that I just picked up from the store.)

I love anything that is smothered in pesto, and when it happens to be a ton of veggies? All the better. The heat has not been good for running around here either. It doesn’t help that I hate summer running. There is no getting acclimated to, or pushing through in my book. I’d rather skip it all together. I manage to squeeze in just enough to keep my endurance up so I can hit it full force again in the fall. Rest up that hammy!

I saw this post in the morning and your first picture stayed in my head all morning…so I made it for lunch!! My kids loved this. They don’t usually eat asparagus but they ate it a lot today. Thank you so much for the delicious meal! 🙂

It is most definitely a process. 🙂 I’m the same way. When I exercise I’m so motivate to eat well, but when I don’t, bring on the chips and chocolate!! 🙂 I’m doing better: more water, more veggies, almost everything homemade.

The cookie butter thing happens to the best of us… my husband just brought home a large container of Nutella the other day… (which is now mostly gone between the 2 of us). Hope you’re hamstring feels better soon!

Gorgeous pasta dish by the way. Definitely going on the “to make list.”

Hi, I’m new to your blog and I love it! SATC for cooks? Hell yeah, I’m loving you already! Beautiful pasta – to-die for! I just got a whole bunch of asparagus from my brother-in-law’s mom’s (whew!) garden! This is a really good way to make use of them (i have, like, 60 spears!).

1. I love everything about this dish: pasta,pesto, asparagus, yuuuuuum!2. When I don’t run (or workout in some way), I eat like a horse, a pregnant horse who has not seen food in like 18 days. Therefor, I workout, and then I eat more like a human. Most days.

I can feel this recipe bringing balance to my life after drooling on my keyboard over those ridiculous brownies you posted. This looks delicious. Pesto pasta is my favorite and when you pair it with roasted veggies, it’s even better. Love it!

Gorgeous pasta salad! I can never say no to pesto and asparagus…well, I only wish I could eat it year-round. So good. Love the green beans in this! Can’t wait to make it. I hope your hamstring feels better soon!